tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27406659576683118712024-02-02T08:15:14.553-08:00Lint Lips and LilyStudio Blog for
Katie Chen Reclaimed Art kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-66408040861106882422013-05-19T22:06:00.001-07:002013-05-19T22:06:11.085-07:00Raindrops on leaflets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-17847390245676218022013-05-12T20:06:00.000-07:002013-05-12T20:11:59.094-07:00Another poem attempt from a while ago<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Down goes the flower<br />Over the crowd it towers<br />Loud boats drying in doubt<br />Growing brown in abandoned harbor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">-K.C., 2010 </span></div>
kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-81430013222087712922013-03-25T13:11:00.000-07:002013-03-25T13:15:13.173-07:00Studio? Studio! (Kind of...)Hey guys, I've been keeping a horrible art blog. With the new house, new city, new studio, new studio shutting down, having to create another new studio at home...things have been busy. I've been "doing" rather than "documenting," which is a good thing sometimes, but I'd like to be a little bit more open with the process, so I think this will be a good tool.<br />
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If you haven't seen this yet, here is my current studio: It's at home, it gets wonderful light, I have a huge desk/work table and plenty of storage, but it is still too small. If you remember what my studio looked like in Load of Fun, this is definitely a downgrade in size. The upgrades: it's warm, dry, and I can roll out of bed and work in my pajamas. Not good for a social life. There are some days where I don't see a single person except for Peter...which can be a problem. I definitely don't want to become a hermit, with hermit-like qualities!<br />
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It definitely makes it hard to have studio visits, I struggle at keeping regular studio hours, and so I'm keeping my eyes open for another studio. There was a potential space, but that just fell through as of a couple days ago. But I'm confident; something will come up soon.<br />
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In the meantime, I'll be posting my newest series. It is so new that it doesn't have a name yet. It may even end up being a selection of smaller series, but I'll be taking more process photos, I promise. This will be a challenge for me (I usually hate taking photos of pieces before they're done! How embarrassing!), but I think it could be cook for the rest of you guys. So, I'll do it for you.<br />
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If you're interested in the rest of what I've been up to (kind of art-related, but more life-related), you can feel free to check out the blog that I keep about our new home. It's called the <a href="http://remingtonrad.blogspot.com/">The Remington Rad</a>, and we've done a lot of DIY house projects. Whew! A lot.<br />
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Anyway, more to come!<br />
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<br />kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-37405354935300015792012-08-08T20:11:00.000-07:002012-08-08T20:34:58.980-07:00And all I needed was a strong man.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Has anyone used Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty? Believe it or not, I bought it before I realized how absurd the name was. Rock Hard? Oh my! Isn't that a bit --ahem--risque? Anyway, we'll see how well it does at patching up the seams in my studio space. Seems to be doing well thus far. Tomorrow I finish painting the other wall. Wish me luck. I almost passed out from heat exhaustion today, and dehydration--it was a hot one! Move in is just around the corner, I have to finish asap! <br />
<br />kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-84346042632885902742012-08-07T14:51:00.002-07:002012-08-07T14:51:15.950-07:00Art Exercises: Ok, these are really weird...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOYl6zZxKyzv7sRTXjfV2RFyYIo65kvcxDej1r0o6yZibrx9BOqdIpEubrj9CeHU6DtCDv7e3qITJK1lHVv3t_P0LtVDOhO634-xHWgo91e6iXYoH5upvdhL7bqKfKkePzKK5c3Q8PMa2/s1600/Hug+dearest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOYl6zZxKyzv7sRTXjfV2RFyYIo65kvcxDej1r0o6yZibrx9BOqdIpEubrj9CeHU6DtCDv7e3qITJK1lHVv3t_P0LtVDOhO634-xHWgo91e6iXYoH5upvdhL7bqKfKkePzKK5c3Q8PMa2/s640/Hug+dearest.jpg" width="630" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hug, dearest? Yes, Please!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love you! You too!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is for you, my love! Thanks, love!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's fly away together!</td></tr>
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Usually when I'm creating a piece, the first thing I do is cut up a bunch of little pieces based on texture and color. With these, I decided to challenge myself by making myself cut out figures out of the magazines instead of squares and triangles. (Oh gosh, the patience!) But I did it! And here's what came out of it. Yes, they're weird, but I kind of like 'em. <br />
<br />kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-4959833715719193242012-08-05T22:16:00.001-07:002012-08-05T22:16:59.999-07:00Art exercises: Funny Birds!<br />
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I went through an extreme art creation binge before my show in May, and was feeling pretty burnt out after that was done, and had to take some time off (that, and we've been settling into Baltimore!). But now, I'm getting the artist itch. I need to make something--and yet--the task of starting one of my large pieces still seems like--well...a task! One of my collages typically takes days, if not weeks to complete, and it can get tedious and exhausting at times. I obviously need to be easing into it. Anytime I feel like this, I know it's time to do some art exercises. So, here's what I've been up to: drawing funny birds! And making them quick sketches (only allow myself 5 minutes on the pencil sketch), so that I can be free as a bird and finish quite literally right after I start. The rule is no matter what you have after 5 minutes is what you keep. This time, I allowed myself a few more minutes to apply the watercolor, but next time I'll challenge myself even more by being stringent with a timer!<br />
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They're drawn on recycled card-stock (I think it was used as packing materials for something ceramic?) that I've had saved for a long time. Oh gosh, it felt good to spread my wings, make quick brush strokes, feathery pencil marks, and call it a day. These birds were mostly inspired by birds that I saw at the National Aquarium when I went there with my folks in July. I know, it's an aquarium, why were birds the take home inspiration for me? Call me bird brained. Hah. Sorry, ran out of stupid bird sayings. That must mean it's time for me to end this blog. Check back soon. There will be more exercises to come soon!kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-13653307625406693642012-08-05T21:14:00.001-07:002012-08-05T21:14:09.805-07:00New studio space<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When Peter and I found our house, we were so excited by the great deal we were getting, the area...etc...the only issue was that the studio space would be a tight fit--especially with the direction I've been going lately. The solution, was that I would get a studio space! And so last week, I signed a lease on a beautiful art studio space in the Station North Arts and Entertainment district in Baltimore, MD. </div>
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It is housed in the <a href="http://www.loadoffun.net/LoadofFun/Welcome.html">Load of Fun Artists Building</a>. Check it out, it's been a cool space so far. I'll keep you posted as I try out this new way of living: giving myself regular studio hours to follow during the day (so I'm not working there late at night--still not the best area to be after sunset), creating a show space, hosting open studio parties, taking part in the open studio walks that the Load of Fun building hosts in collaboration with a few other arts organizations. It will indeed be a huge change, and I'm nervous for the extra work that it will be to set up shop and to adapt my routines around it, but I have high hopes that the extra work will pay off in the end. I'll be having a studio warming part in the not-too-distant future. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Single Carrot Theatre office is just down the hall!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My studio from the doorway.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It came with a desk and stool! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8Yrs_jh9M7ckCMzMnZD8OlXdoExDyW6Oozx9r-fCfEhftJ9ZTmpkc2zyvPKZGbJfkA-pXNgrmfr3_NVIV6BaYpDHhyzwTK20-peoeQWOWFxmUOXln7xCznXwl1-74P-5gXtdvhyphenhyphenagW-J/s1600/IMG_3827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8Yrs_jh9M7ckCMzMnZD8OlXdoExDyW6Oozx9r-fCfEhftJ9ZTmpkc2zyvPKZGbJfkA-pXNgrmfr3_NVIV6BaYpDHhyzwTK20-peoeQWOWFxmUOXln7xCznXwl1-74P-5gXtdvhyphenhyphenagW-J/s400/IMG_3827.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plenty of room to hang my pieces. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another nice white wall (after I repaint it) to hang my larger pieces on. </td></tr>
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<br />kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-72525875466520079722012-07-18T20:46:00.002-07:002012-07-18T20:46:50.288-07:00Ahh...that's betterNo, still no new artwork up yet. I haven't even started a new piece what with not having a real studio space and all. But, things are coming along, slowly but surely. <br />
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Not a novice to moving around, I still do find this process incredibly tiresome. I am in the "research" part of the process where I'm having to seek out all of the galleries in the city, find out what they're all about, contact them, find out what their submission process is, and take it from there--find out if I'm a good match. Alongside that research process, I'm' also trying to find out a little bit more about the studio space option. Being new to the city and all and still with few friends, it may be a good option as we can build a community from there. Plus, our house is rather small. I have doubts that the direction that I want to take my pieces will fit through our stairwell. So, things are still up in the air. There are many decisions to be made, and research to be done. <br />
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In the meantime, feel free to take a look at the photos of the house (below), check out my new website if you haven't yet: <a href="http://katiechenreclaimedart.com/">http://katiechenreclaimedart.com</a>, and please let me know if you know of anyone in the Baltimore area that would know of the art studio situation. I still haven't quite made that connection here yet. Thanks for reading!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The living room, front window and front door.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqawa8xg_y-CDt3eDcn08SEWoN8dYGQEO6R75LHea5UzCPKPygeZmzWuHEk4-SDGG4OmZh5Xss0Zqyq_DbVYmI6uC6WQa6lUcI-upOMQ7kqCCCc0GoZYnsdQwHgbr6L70LdovAmJLu4-oq/s1600/IMG_3795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqawa8xg_y-CDt3eDcn08SEWoN8dYGQEO6R75LHea5UzCPKPygeZmzWuHEk4-SDGG4OmZh5Xss0Zqyq_DbVYmI6uC6WQa6lUcI-upOMQ7kqCCCc0GoZYnsdQwHgbr6L70LdovAmJLu4-oq/s320/IMG_3795.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallway to kitchen, view of the back door, stairs to 2nd floor.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exposed brick wall with view to kitchen and stairs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen, back window and door.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen sink, and the hallway back to the livingroom.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stairs to the 2nd floor.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CosShmPsiVQp9RhELQNfqKiWhST-zs6sxVPUQXPmrXPdj4V5WrfxsL4i-KtX_b07h3VpKQ2F3pxhAoQ3cqZzkbmOECdM4sfA53rKHxfdRZCuHm6l6Ruacu_rHDAChjAk6Xmjcin3Gml2/s1600/IMG_3800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CosShmPsiVQp9RhELQNfqKiWhST-zs6sxVPUQXPmrXPdj4V5WrfxsL4i-KtX_b07h3VpKQ2F3pxhAoQ3cqZzkbmOECdM4sfA53rKHxfdRZCuHm6l6Ruacu_rHDAChjAk6Xmjcin3Gml2/s320/IMG_3800.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First bedroom (facing backyard)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_-FsB63rezqO1YzpMPpwCJA7lkU9Z4sEUxwE5L9hlVUL9C5Xahdii1F6O2uHG3JHMz-lBo5G3Tn2VPO0-tAKgXu0UkB1grMfvL-NLlFGwP7kiujD8MRH_RUNl7BGwTDNR80goYng_jB7/s1600/IMG_3801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_-FsB63rezqO1YzpMPpwCJA7lkU9Z4sEUxwE5L9hlVUL9C5Xahdii1F6O2uHG3JHMz-lBo5G3Tn2VPO0-tAKgXu0UkB1grMfvL-NLlFGwP7kiujD8MRH_RUNl7BGwTDNR80goYng_jB7/s320/IMG_3801.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second bedroom (facing street)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVpWL9NvTDk5pgr4m5mRw7leZY_Sxo4w9B4_yls6AE3EuI76w20lRdoK1ouIGuyDIcWKRZo8MAoP2wWKOQmX3vEtt0JfHxBA6VWFkrqwNVV3QLIA170aB-QwLwjzlmZzRUezXb1JVTMgZ/s1600/IMG_3802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVpWL9NvTDk5pgr4m5mRw7leZY_Sxo4w9B4_yls6AE3EuI76w20lRdoK1ouIGuyDIcWKRZo8MAoP2wWKOQmX3vEtt0JfHxBA6VWFkrqwNVV3QLIA170aB-QwLwjzlmZzRUezXb1JVTMgZ/s320/IMG_3802.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathroom, and view of first toilet.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SUbFSYdBNs60Omp7S__dHLZPPDHXwNB6WsvtjfR2rglFVNBFW_YHUBC_Ev-sk2UFQ_qUotr8rmB941A7cw-cahJOMCzBsfnB3Q-4IiACP4WSwEPUwH8B4Tvg_8aSkWa0SoBeoUbcIA2z/s1600/IMG_3803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SUbFSYdBNs60Omp7S__dHLZPPDHXwNB6WsvtjfR2rglFVNBFW_YHUBC_Ev-sk2UFQ_qUotr8rmB941A7cw-cahJOMCzBsfnB3Q-4IiACP4WSwEPUwH8B4Tvg_8aSkWa0SoBeoUbcIA2z/s320/IMG_3803.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini hallway past the tub (on the right).</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWxfROiow_5UKR6xnJBIYYavuum1hA9L99l0LP6cnkAg9jPY379YUgr9Cdja1Yv_V3x3gKmJLDf6fZ-NU5HW0TG7Ab_jdeWZcLgFc7MQa3iFWodkYzoEO5PFhcvF1BUH8oOcjyqyxxb5q/s1600/IMG_3804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWxfROiow_5UKR6xnJBIYYavuum1hA9L99l0LP6cnkAg9jPY379YUgr9Cdja1Yv_V3x3gKmJLDf6fZ-NU5HW0TG7Ab_jdeWZcLgFc7MQa3iFWodkYzoEO5PFhcvF1BUH8oOcjyqyxxb5q/s320/IMG_3804.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of second sink, bathtub directly to the right.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKQIyUXHJhyphenhyphen4Cvihk0fuFigD-lB9qZJX8t2FBc6c7zxi6Ag-6ELb9UHXBrD96ZB824ek5ZLcS0zC0nJNI9PTqBFk9eyAUlXjiQlUJ-bU2_mrsfeKTfGKNZ2f3CGKW2-BrMsmobB4tKL3n/s1600/IMG_3806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKQIyUXHJhyphenhyphen4Cvihk0fuFigD-lB9qZJX8t2FBc6c7zxi6Ag-6ELb9UHXBrD96ZB824ek5ZLcS0zC0nJNI9PTqBFk9eyAUlXjiQlUJ-bU2_mrsfeKTfGKNZ2f3CGKW2-BrMsmobB4tKL3n/s320/IMG_3806.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the second toilet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8zI2aD5Uhn1_goliBm5b-jd0nlxJlBD5HX3gh2NuVEeZWI8hx7MVFlNPWp1vlCdX8WTWTNpWOlYsq7UzWQB2dKpOCVm2Uh7FEiT6g3UZbTHPD2ECSe-1mNvs-sRZvfRY9r879I5nXvY1/s1600/IMG_3807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8zI2aD5Uhn1_goliBm5b-jd0nlxJlBD5HX3gh2NuVEeZWI8hx7MVFlNPWp1vlCdX8WTWTNpWOlYsq7UzWQB2dKpOCVm2Uh7FEiT6g3UZbTHPD2ECSe-1mNvs-sRZvfRY9r879I5nXvY1/s320/IMG_3807.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the other side of the bathroom. Yes, you've got it. <br />Two toilets in one bathroom! Hot commodity here!</td></tr>
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<br />kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-35378397607573039372012-07-11T22:48:00.000-07:002012-07-11T22:48:04.148-07:00ACK?! What happened to my lovely blog?!Somehow I accidentally upgraded my blog to the new interface that blogger is pushing. What I thought was a preview was actually a permanent change, so bear with me as I deal with this unexpected change...<br />
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Sometimes change is good, right? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlXKp8U2zFk-efNiBDt0bh2ToNMfXuaRjnsWjGB65_m4gwonvKarXwjC3fqlF01yCUkl9p8Buafl_WyNwnKf3y9vJx355IcMxosoiJJ9gG0DFi6aauBOab0bSrxd8rX0_MteEX1Op6-88/s1600/IMG_3778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlXKp8U2zFk-efNiBDt0bh2ToNMfXuaRjnsWjGB65_m4gwonvKarXwjC3fqlF01yCUkl9p8Buafl_WyNwnKf3y9vJx355IcMxosoiJJ9gG0DFi6aauBOab0bSrxd8rX0_MteEX1Op6-88/s640/IMG_3778.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXV7M3igem9IxcoJ9NCgkLr1fO5IeP1qqUxG_7B43d2LUGjSZG5zW7aTsK5i9kBZoRA2MiPsQ2oZUSzzzd26heom707l1tiyYJHRpZo2mzXGdh-fSoED5iTjG9XM5zDG4AUXb9oOH1XieY/s1600/IMG_3784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXV7M3igem9IxcoJ9NCgkLr1fO5IeP1qqUxG_7B43d2LUGjSZG5zW7aTsK5i9kBZoRA2MiPsQ2oZUSzzzd26heom707l1tiyYJHRpZo2mzXGdh-fSoED5iTjG9XM5zDG4AUXb9oOH1XieY/s640/IMG_3784.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HQvhpDFRTXJdyJvpBieEYNKwBpzerxwvAWmPdODXyalZM4SmGj4bBnk8B8BNu_GV9VQ-GHob2MWoC4__DksBVME7aqPvLtzyjo3Y6ReIsJYBJREDuv1zmvul5o8c9vVhBrXfWewV4VOz/s1600/IMG_3787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HQvhpDFRTXJdyJvpBieEYNKwBpzerxwvAWmPdODXyalZM4SmGj4bBnk8B8BNu_GV9VQ-GHob2MWoC4__DksBVME7aqPvLtzyjo3Y6ReIsJYBJREDuv1zmvul5o8c9vVhBrXfWewV4VOz/s640/IMG_3787.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsylqCCm5T4r0tSMjwAjtas04RplhN4_CVLd6ULjrW2hGmm3sQnw_igavyyNDSTl8pC7I9od0jQBi0_0VutQQN7iID0VhNzM1mibhPS-m7Y6ldG5Qm0aaa40C8JgyEergug4NNCI6A887U/s1600/IMG_3790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsylqCCm5T4r0tSMjwAjtas04RplhN4_CVLd6ULjrW2hGmm3sQnw_igavyyNDSTl8pC7I9od0jQBi0_0VutQQN7iID0VhNzM1mibhPS-m7Y6ldG5Qm0aaa40C8JgyEergug4NNCI6A887U/s640/IMG_3790.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6tXpau27Rxkhu3xZD2x_FEcZhk8os7dlEXzPYhQLVJdE1wHRdMEur-VpUuIffTbNJz49kotPKpTni1zuTso8NhyphenhyphenODuf0n0gd8f2MLuccIRtKH6G_KQn39jEeZ3ucE1KWH2KpKNX3RExE/s1600/IMG_3789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6tXpau27Rxkhu3xZD2x_FEcZhk8os7dlEXzPYhQLVJdE1wHRdMEur-VpUuIffTbNJz49kotPKpTni1zuTso8NhyphenhyphenODuf0n0gd8f2MLuccIRtKH6G_KQn39jEeZ3ucE1KWH2KpKNX3RExE/s640/IMG_3789.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here are some jellies at the National Aquarium, if it helps. (I know it helps me...)kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-49369258109591697032012-07-11T21:40:00.000-07:002012-07-11T22:25:56.754-07:00Excuses, excuses, excuses...<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">No, there's no new artwork. But I have so many excuses! Let me list them all (it will also be a good way to get y'all up to speed):</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1. We moved to Baltimore, MD on June 1. Look at the skyline. Pretty, huh? Almost like looking at artwork, right? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtmFwHUkQlfIKgmVJOYR9tbW9gk6L5ii4Br7ChOqrhr7deEpQAxQrMKXKMqaSRsoRoh5dmGa-pWKxx8dKFJdeQfoCxUiCZeURicu8IqbaTSaIRO-pEoRXVURDiyEJT6_LhWvqTkKVHE7B/s1600/Baltimore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtmFwHUkQlfIKgmVJOYR9tbW9gk6L5ii4Br7ChOqrhr7deEpQAxQrMKXKMqaSRsoRoh5dmGa-pWKxx8dKFJdeQfoCxUiCZeURicu8IqbaTSaIRO-pEoRXVURDiyEJT6_LhWvqTkKVHE7B/s640/Baltimore.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Charm City!</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2. We had a wedding celebration for the two of us 2 weeks after we moved Baltimore and had friends and family in town for a while.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3. I then worked diligently on upgrading my website to the new website: </span><a href="http://katiechenreclaimedart.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">katiechenreclaimedart.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (which is--for me, an artform in itself! I even hooked it up to Paypal so you can buy artwork online!).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1870564552"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcoDTmP7ZdblpQhsb7AoRVEUp91NG9wFhGHnXJrfgbTwVnjquLQEjuOr09wWrIjSyuW3ilph3-_FrWX2IIPqZt4SXCJPX-9JLNPmFwN9DVsUSVcghhA1U46e26QBNpypICfzMfHb9WIVY/s640/Picture+1.png" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://katiechenreclaimedart.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The new http://katiechenreclaimedart.com website. Check it out!</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijP0juAO-Pe80aDWm8zHlKqHFsvbdKvw4mPMU5XZGyrmyV_81DKgpLRBdv_aZ5KAdhN7G-SjVDjq-i3vLMWZ04vuoqpFLvfPXS1baUW_2R2sfVtgCgx6LvaEuOAD77YAfs1I8Gm7nwh_ZO/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijP0juAO-Pe80aDWm8zHlKqHFsvbdKvw4mPMU5XZGyrmyV_81DKgpLRBdv_aZ5KAdhN7G-SjVDjq-i3vLMWZ04vuoqpFLvfPXS1baUW_2R2sfVtgCgx6LvaEuOAD77YAfs1I8Gm7nwh_ZO/s400/images.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Our house! Baby blue, I love you, you smell like poo...</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4. We bought a house!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5. We found out that the basement of the house is full of mold!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6. We found out that the weird smells coming from the basement is probably sewer leakage from a broken pipe!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">7. And the roof is leaking!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8. Etc...the house needs work. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Welcome to homeownership, eh? No worries, we knew the house needed work when we bought it, so no real surprises (except for the fecal matter in the basement...ok...there aren't actually solids, I'm exaggerating...but still. Gross.). I'm actually planning on starting another blog designated purely for the work that we do on this house, so I won't go too far into it here...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, the plan is that we move in at the end of August. And in the meantime I will be looking for a studio to show my work and to hopefully have more space to spread out. I'm hoping to get large with my pieces in the future. If anyone knows about the Galleries in Baltimore, please let me know where I should be looking. I'll be doing research myself, but it's always good to have the "inside scoop." Thanks for reading, visit back soon, I'm sure I'll have more for ya!</span></div>
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<br />kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-11688724858843090642012-04-23T14:11:00.000-07:002012-04-23T14:13:32.155-07:00Reclaimed Art, my exhibit at the Flood Gallery Fine Art Center May 3-28, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVHJLSUFjg_3uNeqpa9XuIVe0G33NgJ7h41j028V-wMdWrrQrdowHxy0lJ-t_kdBzyRVGWbA9EnXYdFNbJdLp0rlR3v7_II1bqbtflksMTmlVE38NPRRRM96eoyRoXBl8sYxqIXQngjuKc/s1600/Flood+Gallery+Ad+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVHJLSUFjg_3uNeqpa9XuIVe0G33NgJ7h41j028V-wMdWrrQrdowHxy0lJ-t_kdBzyRVGWbA9EnXYdFNbJdLp0rlR3v7_II1bqbtflksMTmlVE38NPRRRM96eoyRoXBl8sYxqIXQngjuKc/s640/Flood+Gallery+Ad+1.jpg" width="474" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Flood Gallery Fine Art Center’s newest exhibit, Reclaimed
Art, presenting the work of local mixed media artist, Katie Chen, will be on
view through May. The opening
reception will be on Saturday, May 5, 2012, from 6 pm-9 pm. True to the title
of the show “Reclaimed Art,” Chen tries to limit her medium to only reclaimed
materials—obtaining most of her materials from the local Habitat for Humanity
Restore, the curbside, or through donation. Instead of using toxic paints, solvents, and new canvas
materials, the tiny pieces of color and texture she cuts from the pages of
these donated magazines become her color palate, and the reclaimed wood board
becomes her canvas. Amazingly, the
result ends up looking very similar to an abstract oil painting. “I’ve had many people ask me what kind
of paint I use,” Chen laughs.
“They’re surprised when I tell them that they’re looking at tiny pieces
of magazines.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A woman with many interests and talents, Chen is also a
classically trained singer, and holds a degree in Journalism from Northern
Illinois University. Ultimately,
it was while she learned how to design and write for magazines, that she also
saw the potential for their pages to be a “green” art medium with the use of
scissors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you want to go:
Reclaimed Art, works by Katie Chen at the Flood Gallery Fine Art Center,
May 3-28, 2012. Art opening
reception on Saturday, May 5, 2012 from 6 pm-9 pm. Flood Gallery Fine Art Center located in the Phil Mechanic
Studios Building at 109 Roberts Street, Asheville. (828) 254-2166.
For additional information please visit www.floodgallery.org.</span></div>kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-25644513243157116222012-04-17T18:36:00.002-07:002012-04-17T18:40:25.469-07:00Boobalicious Breastfeeding Hat!I saw a hat like this one online a while back, and decided right then and there that I needed to make one! I think this will be my trademark gift for all of my many friends who are giving birth this year. I was excited to find the exact colors in a organic soft cotton yarn at the local yarn shop, and to create my own original pattern to use for all of the babies to come! This one went to my friend who is expecting a baby boy this July! <br />
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PS. Hopefully you "get" it. When the baby wears it when he/she is nursing, it looks like you are exposed, and have a very gigantic boob! Hilarious! </div>kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-37722886364216190472012-04-08T11:06:00.002-07:002012-04-08T11:07:29.789-07:00Plants, plants, everywhere! (Yum yum yum yum yum)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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She's cute, isn't she? So sweet and innocent, curled up in a little ball...awwww...But don't let her fool you!!! She's actually truly vicious; with tearing claws, gnashing teeth, a ferocious devouring stomach--you should be very scared!!!</div>
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...if you're a plant. </div>
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Yes, folks. Kitty is a plant killer. And I've learned the hard way. I've been brought close to tears when I've gone to check on the little tiny plant-ling that I've been caring for, nursing along--only to find it gone--absolutely and entirely eaten. And Kitty nearby purring with pleasure. Plant-lings are her favorite. And the jade plants; must be a texture thing. </div>
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Anyway, first reacting with sadness and pity ("why me--why do I happen to adopt a plant-eater-cat?!?!?!"), I changed my approach and turned it into a project. To try and find the answer to the question: how to keep Kitty from eating my plants. Extra challenge: unlike dogs (the animal I'm more accustomed to), kitties can jump--high--making the usual solutions like "put it on the shelf" still unusable. </div>
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Here's what I came up with: A terrarium, and hanging plants in jars!</div>
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Any other solutions out there? Please and thank you!!</div>
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<br />kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-63908027806881957642012-04-07T09:45:00.000-07:002012-04-07T09:45:36.977-07:00For the Meow: Catnip filled mouse!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This project was inspired by some mice created by the ladies at <a href="http://www.digfoundry.com/">Foundry</a> in Asheville, NC. I wish you could see the originals (maybe they've posted them on their website?)--they're beautiful! Handcrafted out of fabric samples, they actually look like cute little mice (ears and all!). As for me, I didn't have nearly the patience enough to even challenge my sewing skills (3D sewing is not my forte), so I based my little mouse on--well, a mouse that you might use with a computer. It's hip to be square, right? <br />
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Made of reclaimed fabric, and filled with organic catnip. $5 plus shipping.kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-3272071506635454192012-04-06T20:57:00.002-07:002012-04-06T20:57:20.988-07:00Piece in progress...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the biggest one yet. I'm preparing for my show in May at the Flood Gallery in Asheville, NC. My first personal show ever! Excited to be able to show all of my large pieces! Can't wait. This one is almost done, needs its final layers of varnish before it is completely finished, and as you can tell by the photos, its size makes it difficult to take nice photos of it...hopefully you still get the idea of it, though!kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-69355447366204025322012-01-01T23:39:00.000-08:002012-01-01T23:39:08.097-08:00MY FIRST VIDEO--EVER!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx5vbd3JmFTey4OH9sE3OTwRI8Xuic8lKhclZFdfLcrkUK71EnW34JA_U2JYljzDucKqUYrOiAfQXo-D_luxQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Here's my first try at "video editing" if you can even call it that. Keep in mind--it's my FIRST attempt, so don't expect too much! I am no Steven Spielberg; I know you're really disappointed. kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-48403122952195954722011-12-30T14:25:00.000-08:002011-12-30T14:26:03.012-08:00City 14: Detroit, Michigan, or, “How about I buy you a city block for Christmas?”<style>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Our Honeymoon, or, How We Got to the Midwest One Interview
at a Time: The Northeast Cities
According to Me, the One Who Wanders the Cities While Peter Completes the Interviews</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: This should by no means be used as a real
resource to the northwestern cities.
While I am an observant person, I have no background in city
development, nor do I have expertise on the cultural or historical background
on these cities. For the most
part, I am reviewing these cities based on my personal preferences, as we will
be moving to one of these cities in the spring. And, if you are hoping for a lot of artwork (as this is my
art blog), sorry to say, but you will be sadly disappointed if you continue to
read this blog in the upcoming two months. Apart from my photographs of the cities, I doubt I’ll get to
very many art and craft projects.</span></i><br />
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAV4DU9FUxZKQstA9Ic_-f0oJrNXZKwOpM1-1PPywmyn1InI0-d1yMH257MMO1ROiTwjAQfi0fgjJWGDTjq2CVQCrziX9GIpoB49upSfr1oysTa-D2oPu2pAzMvKWCFAp9PPsfXKX1EL_/s1600/IMG_3244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAV4DU9FUxZKQstA9Ic_-f0oJrNXZKwOpM1-1PPywmyn1InI0-d1yMH257MMO1ROiTwjAQfi0fgjJWGDTjq2CVQCrziX9GIpoB49upSfr1oysTa-D2oPu2pAzMvKWCFAp9PPsfXKX1EL_/s640/IMG_3244.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hosts' cat looked like an aye-aye lemur.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2j-1YYUESaARUlGZWPf9NBsIYAnPbdKck5Psn8XTnraSAF9ED94jzdwGooruh9dKxE83EAxqD69L7LyfnC9r0s5l545r0QtyGjBtHbjiNJmF0_yg1q8EMlZr-ba1Q0fkcGdU5J27JyT9/s1600/IMG_3252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2j-1YYUESaARUlGZWPf9NBsIYAnPbdKck5Psn8XTnraSAF9ED94jzdwGooruh9dKxE83EAxqD69L7LyfnC9r0s5l545r0QtyGjBtHbjiNJmF0_yg1q8EMlZr-ba1Q0fkcGdU5J27JyT9/s640/IMG_3252.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Streets of Detroit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEOLMxQbpawx1tinJdLJ7b1kS7tel4JkOg-qrOzVZjL1Asddd5EW0YII-0spjngdq0n6XrkPVSxT6fmUIhBusn46ealFTYXTvosfnmuU5Yw5W9o3qBSdyVUxKBAxMsHwey7-YvoAr_QIf/s1600/IMG_3251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEOLMxQbpawx1tinJdLJ7b1kS7tel4JkOg-qrOzVZjL1Asddd5EW0YII-0spjngdq0n6XrkPVSxT6fmUIhBusn46ealFTYXTvosfnmuU5Yw5W9o3qBSdyVUxKBAxMsHwey7-YvoAr_QIf/s640/IMG_3251.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abandoned.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBHzi23nttdfqozytA2XrmYv2knMtn42hzegRHOBLSCc2qIwZH1v2briJRllfw8hSsFKdPXQt_rUPj4h2WNnS781ObPYbHDvaUg8K6B1GagE5lAa6fndbzgoF_eTeyxnkmZHuLVIEMnVn/s1600/IMG_3250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBHzi23nttdfqozytA2XrmYv2knMtn42hzegRHOBLSCc2qIwZH1v2briJRllfw8hSsFKdPXQt_rUPj4h2WNnS781ObPYbHDvaUg8K6B1GagE5lAa6fndbzgoF_eTeyxnkmZHuLVIEMnVn/s640/IMG_3250.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Used to be a car manufacturing plant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlv8QvDYrLymboxqzO5njliPXj0YV3PwdK18MLOjg1m_bfd8zHIaSMlUWctT4YZJcf9vHBlA3toVML2EAyFI8rOTQG4YX3macqykYu9faqo_KkOhCAhOO6vwDE6MPVJDeDGlZOvnbIFcE/s1600/IMG_3249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlv8QvDYrLymboxqzO5njliPXj0YV3PwdK18MLOjg1m_bfd8zHIaSMlUWctT4YZJcf9vHBlA3toVML2EAyFI8rOTQG4YX3macqykYu9faqo_KkOhCAhOO6vwDE6MPVJDeDGlZOvnbIFcE/s640/IMG_3249.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry Ford's house.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8AUwtod7GNBnn2ec_x6vnoNXIHPqW_x-pNFhHsp7EDgThQWW7HpQz8JQbqwoHuS93M443hK9ZAazx4ftqNaJC-06zx1Dbm5q3fhV4ydZJvciy59RIS6EOG9pW4zG6sOzmJGW8lkCHMUi/s1600/IMG_3248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8AUwtod7GNBnn2ec_x6vnoNXIHPqW_x-pNFhHsp7EDgThQWW7HpQz8JQbqwoHuS93M443hK9ZAazx4ftqNaJC-06zx1Dbm5q3fhV4ydZJvciy59RIS6EOG9pW4zG6sOzmJGW8lkCHMUi/s640/IMG_3248.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful building down town. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I have to admit, I’m exhausted. At this point in our trip, we’ve been away from home for
almost 8 weeks. Eight weeks living
out of a suitcase (actually, it’s more like various items used for carrying
clothes, including a cardboard box and hamper), eight weeks sleeping on
strangers’ beds, friends’ floors, and even once (only for a couple hours), in
the car. It’s been an adventure. </span></div>
<div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And yes, it’s been a while since the last post. We’ve actually been in Minnesota for
the past two weeks, and been procrastinating writing this one last post about
the trip. Yes, I’ve been busy with other things here in MN, that’s part of
it. But, I also know that Detroit
rustled up many feelings within me that I knew would be difficult to express in
words, and thus, I’ve been putting off the difficult task. But let me try.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Detroit. At
first, it seems like you have driven into a scene from an apocalyptic
movie. It seems that more
buildings are boarded up than are lived in. Business seem nonexistent. People are missing, you feel. Even some of the tallest buildings downtown are abandoned. Falling down, forgotten. And yet—you have been deceived! You realize that there are new things
being built all over the place.
People are in the process of renovating so many of the buildings! People are moving into these
buildings. There is life, and lots
of it! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But my, I feel that I am not adequate to fully describe
Detroit and all of the things happening there. It’s our number one choice for so many reasons (Peter has
been obsessed with the city for the past year—he even visited the city last
spring!) There is hope, and as
cliché as is sounds, there is a “place” for us as community members. There is the possibility to personally
make a difference because there is no one there right now! But if you build it, they will come,
right? In Detroit, there’s the
possibility of opening a business and become a part of the local economy. It is the place, as someone that Peter
quotes all the time (sorry I can’t remember his name!), “…Where the embers of
the American dream still burn strong.”
<a href="http://www.modeldmedia.com/">ModelD</a> does a really good job of highlighting
all of the happenings in the city.
<a href="http://www.100abandonedhouses.com/">100 Abandoned Houses </a>is a beautiful and haunting website that captures
the emptiness that you can sometimes feel in the city, but I always see
potential as well!!! <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/detroit/">HuffPost Detroit</a> is the newest claim to fame in Detroit, as is the new rapid bus system that has been proposed in the city. That, and the amazing urban farm plans, the beautiful
architecture, the cute and clever businesses that are popping up in the area,
and the opera. These are all
things that make me excited about Detroit. Check it out and see for yourself!!! Meet you in D-Town!!!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Whew! And with
that, I conclude my review of the cities!
We’ll find out where we go in March, and I’ll be sure to let you know
where at that time! Thanks so much
for reading, folks! </span></span></div>kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-42851251529801723512011-12-13T12:04:00.000-08:002011-12-13T13:29:24.376-08:00City No. 13: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or, “The land of the dinosaur!”<span style="color: #666666;">Our Honeymoon, or, How We Got to the Midwest One Interview
at a Time: The Northeast Cities
According to Me, the One Who Wanders the Cities While Peter Completes the Interviews</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: This should by no means be used as a real
resource to the northwestern cities.
While I am an observant person, I have no background in city
development, nor do I have expertise on the cultural or historical background
on these cities. For the most
part, I am reviewing these cities based on my personal preferences, as we will
be moving to one of these cities in the spring. And, if you are hoping for a lot of artwork (as this is my
art blog), sorry to say, but you will be sadly disappointed if you continue to
read this blog in the upcoming two months. Apart from my photographs of the cities, I doubt I’ll get to
very many art and craft projects.</span></i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCYKSDxvD8v84Dq6ZE83apu-uXcT2pPWhuP2hbgvSIK4crRPZSigFkL7A0yQVxGHM1ZjLE1ohzaHTN-ElPmvVGARpVGkbdVSAxK0RyLz-ivS32y_v92gbLDM8ak5or67U4rfCfP0quEzW/s1600/IMG_3227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCYKSDxvD8v84Dq6ZE83apu-uXcT2pPWhuP2hbgvSIK4crRPZSigFkL7A0yQVxGHM1ZjLE1ohzaHTN-ElPmvVGARpVGkbdVSAxK0RyLz-ivS32y_v92gbLDM8ak5or67U4rfCfP0quEzW/s640/IMG_3227.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found this in a bathroom in Pittsburgh. Thought it was hilarious, and of course, needed to share.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCaDA3v2nqR1UpvpK2ThvKtfI_eWwxZwIjffScvgmB-dJwwWk9i_TlOh9CdmIqX1_Ixq-Dd1KF9-bJabbRdqIPkAzfSvN8zL0lFBafH6DM9y8bT3P7JdmFA7gigTKCqkd-9YtJtCrcStg/s640/Pittsburgh_skyline_night1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pittsburgh skyline at night. Amazing! This is literally what you see as you enter the city. Photo from http://www.wallmonkeys.com/blog/?p=16</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So, I love dinosaurs.
Just something hat I happen to love, I’m a nerd like that. I happen to love Jurassic Park I, II,
AND III, just because they all have dinosaurs in them. Judge me. Fine. I’m ok
with that—dinosaurs are AWESOME!
Anyway, when I heard that the <a href="http://www.carnegiemnh.org/">Carnegie Museum of Natural History</a> had the
largest collection of dinosaur skeletons in the country, I was (obviously)
thrilled. And it was AWESOME! They had three T-Rexes (one was a
female juvenile named Jane—the most complete juvenile skeleton in the world),
many long necked Brontosaurus-types (I don’t think Brontosauruses actually are
a real species anymore, are they?
They found out they had made up a species out of a combination of
bones?), and the largest collection of skulls from the Triceratops family that
I’ve ever seen. So cool.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But enough about the dinosaurs. You want to hear about Pittsburgh, don’t you? Well, first off, I must compliment
Pittsburgh on its opening act: The
dismount from the highway. We had
been driving for hours. HOURS, as
we had driven directly from Boston to Pittsburgh—a ten-hour drive! And road weary as we were, we were
still incredibly anxious to finally get to Pittsburgh. But even as we were seeing exit signs
for downtown Pittsburgh, there was still no city to be seen. We kept driving up the hill (picture a
small mountain), and under a tunnel, and still no city—just residential homes
and a few industrial businesses that were not very impressive to look at. And then we drove around a little hill,
and there it was! Shimmering in
all of its glory, a rather large city!
Skyscrapers and all! A
complete city had been hidden from our sight during our entire drive “into the
city” and the final presentation after the buildup was unbelievable. Pittsburgh was awarded many extra
points for that display.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Despite all of the beauty that Pittsburgh’s downtown
provided, the surrounding “boroughs” as they were called were in various stages
of disrepair. Once an incredibly
wealthy city, the current state of it requires words like “urban renewal,”
“gentrification,” and “up and coming” to describe it. Much like Detroit (the upcoming city) but not to the same
extent, Pittsburgh lost many of its inhabitants, and what has been left for the
past decade has been vacant business buildings, boarded-up homes, gang and drug
related crimes and homicides, hopelessness. Until now.
Artists and small business owners have now been coming in for the past
few years to make those abandoned buildings their own. People are moving into neglected
neighborhoods, and there is a loyalty and sense of pride that these people have
for their city. It was an amazing
experience to see these people’s visions coming to life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.cocacafe.net/">Coca Café</a> was a favorite, located in Lawrenceville. They serve breakfast and brunch only,
and it was easy to understand why they’ve made this their specialty. The food was amazing, and the building
itself gets amazing morning sunlight.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">We also had an opportunity to check out an art walk called
“Unblurred” that takes place the first Friday of the month. With most of the stops located on Penn.
Ave. (an area that feels somewhat shady), it was interesting to see how warm
and inviting all of the galleries were, and to see how different I felt about
the area once we’d walked the whole thing. En route, we found an amazing glass-works school, and a
great café (that we made plans to eat at later, but never returned to. Oops) called <a href="http://qspgh.com/">Quiet Storm</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Pittsburgh is definitely one of my favorites
thus far. Creativity, beauty, and
a sense of movement fill the air.
There are people living there that care, and who are working with each
other to make it what they want it to be.
So inspiring.</span></div>kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-1971230256466083792011-12-07T06:08:00.001-08:002011-12-07T06:09:57.513-08:00City No. 11: Blanton, Massachusetts, or “How we stayed in a house built in 1760!”<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;">Our Honeymoon, or, How We Got to the Midwest One Interview
at a Time: The Northeast Cities
According to Me, the One Who Wanders the Cities While Peter Completes the Interviews</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: This should by no means be used as a real
resource to the northwestern cities.
While I am an observant person, I have no background in city
development, nor do I have expertise on the cultural or historical background
on these cities. For the most
part, I am reviewing these cities based on my personal preferences, as we will
be moving to one of these cities in the spring. And, if you are hoping for a lot of artwork (as this is my
art blog), sorry to say, but you will be sadly disappointed if you continue to
read this blog in the upcoming two months. Apart from my photographs of the cities, I doubt I’ll get to
very many art and craft projects.</span></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6aj6Jmt2-UwbLyUJNn0HCpEk9xoSUeex5zxCjEPo62Uv1Y7r9KBqXZKzAWdb5hUzbPbcfu_2_enkSC1ela54tLoI4MiUEuTqpTprAIBnFJ3P62gMhhmrR0QJFGsQX4vpkhvlsGcGE3Qb/s1600/IMG_3222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6aj6Jmt2-UwbLyUJNn0HCpEk9xoSUeex5zxCjEPo62Uv1Y7r9KBqXZKzAWdb5hUzbPbcfu_2_enkSC1ela54tLoI4MiUEuTqpTprAIBnFJ3P62gMhhmrR0QJFGsQX4vpkhvlsGcGE3Qb/s640/IMG_3222.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Now this city is not really a city as much as a place where
people live—on their own lots—spread out.</span><span style="font-size: small;">
Peter had made reservations at this bed & breakfast in Blanton,
called “Baird’s Tavern” a while ago, and the stay was meant to be a forced
vacation for the two of us.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> And it
was!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Thank goodness, after all of
the moving and shaking, we got a peaceful night’s sleep, and some time to just
sit and read.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> We did not have
internet-connection, and phone service was a little inconsistent, so we were
pretty much incommunicado!</span><span style="font-size: small;">
Wee!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Apparently, this bed and breakfast was originally a tavern
that had positioned itself very strategically next to the road that connected
the towns.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Because people traveled
using horses, it would take days to travel from town to town, so people needed
pit stops along the way—like this tavern!</span><span style="font-size: small;">
And though “taverns” had drink at the time, mostly it was for food and
to provide a place to sleep for the night.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> The thing about this place that is worth noting after hearing
its history, is that the road doesn’t exist anymore.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Now its a parking lot surrounded by trees.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Though the highway is nearby, the
remnants of the old throughway and of days past are preserved in the
tavern.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> A place that, according to
the owner, could house 55 men a night (who would sleep on sheepskin laid down
on the floor—feet to the fire), where food was cooked in huge fireplaces (after
childbirth, the leading cause of death to women—large sleeves are not conducive
to safe fire-place cooking—who knew!), where babies were birthed in the
“birthing room” (which was also the place where food was prepared… “hopefully
not at the same time!” remarked the owner), and where men played “pennies in
the corner” (that’s the name I gave it—NOT historically accurate) so much that
they rounded large potholes in the corner floorboards, and it had to be
re-floored to remedy that specific issue caused by the game.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The history of the house was incredibly interesting.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Our sleep was very peaceful and quiet,
and breakfast was delicious (blueberry pancakes, yum!).</span><span style="font-size: small;"> If you ever find yourself in the area
of Blanton, Massachusetts (which might be a bit odd, it’s not really a “I was
just in the area!” kind of place…) definitely stay here!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> The Baird Tavern.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Thumbs up.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-63488577193003777022011-12-06T19:14:00.001-08:002011-12-06T19:25:26.530-08:00City No. 10: Albany, New York, or, “Gosh, we’ve been on the road for a while”<span style="color: #666666;">Our Honeymoon, or, How We Got to the Midwest One Interview
at a Time: The Northeast Cities
According to Me, the One Who Wanders the Cities While Peter Completes the Interviews</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: This should by no means be used as a real
resource to the northwestern cities.
While I am an observant person, I have no background in city
development, nor do I have expertise on the cultural or historical background
on these cities. For the most
part, I am reviewing these cities based on my personal preferences, as we will
be moving to one of these cities in the spring. And, if you are hoping for a lot of artwork (as this is my
art blog), sorry to say, but you will be sadly disappointed if you continue to
read this blog in the upcoming two months. Apart from my photographs of the cities, I doubt I’ll get to
very many art and craft projects.</span></i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFcejL5pbvmUI91J7O_9uPBqAGOzdso7K_HmuznT7Wykf3rPw1NGe0IKK4ezaJaEqPuTlq-YnCxIgdE2uIlbrSn5CvDtry6rMsOkn4K3L16KChzwtU7ppjDWNjaWTTTl5CAGsBy5D5WA6/s1600/IMG_3172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFcejL5pbvmUI91J7O_9uPBqAGOzdso7K_HmuznT7Wykf3rPw1NGe0IKK4ezaJaEqPuTlq-YnCxIgdE2uIlbrSn5CvDtry6rMsOkn4K3L16KChzwtU7ppjDWNjaWTTTl5CAGsBy5D5WA6/s640/IMG_3172.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The third point is pretty obvious...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilS1WWqe8kHZHSml0IOWoqL64dt9WjxRGjQBQPz4qtRFyY-IB50PVsXRQYBDyksi8VRP7K8_VJ8BrM5s7LQd4Z6pRbRbtPH1MdtqQmpVxgvSLfGc6PZb89x5KN6SBPnveRXuK9IJ5HaTwR/s1600/IMG_3173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilS1WWqe8kHZHSml0IOWoqL64dt9WjxRGjQBQPz4qtRFyY-IB50PVsXRQYBDyksi8VRP7K8_VJ8BrM5s7LQd4Z6pRbRbtPH1MdtqQmpVxgvSLfGc6PZb89x5KN6SBPnveRXuK9IJ5HaTwR/s640/IMG_3173.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our hotel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZkkVHue_t7oO7I1kG_3b4g1f9gEXx71U93xJWJqaxyWqemagNS951txHv3R9QU205kZzlUC7br-ItakyIN3WDA7BDWMShRvWTNvad8_XxANCsTlc-P_YqZdJEBuDjlVjFpwaXewgU56D/s1600/IMG_3175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZkkVHue_t7oO7I1kG_3b4g1f9gEXx71U93xJWJqaxyWqemagNS951txHv3R9QU205kZzlUC7br-ItakyIN3WDA7BDWMShRvWTNvad8_XxANCsTlc-P_YqZdJEBuDjlVjFpwaXewgU56D/s640/IMG_3175.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brilliant sunset, and satellite dishes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3n9dSij15LivJpra4naHsZxXLFKcjPTPfnWY-e2Hd3wAkgB1sYp-W3G8rm_fkzPyHaxW8APqfI7rSKRUX-AJcyavug_vCAwvKBp5Efp-TYYqLO6S-VgXS0CWi-tNchrhTsqj9I36ttIt/s1600/IMG_3182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3n9dSij15LivJpra4naHsZxXLFKcjPTPfnWY-e2Hd3wAkgB1sYp-W3G8rm_fkzPyHaxW8APqfI7rSKRUX-AJcyavug_vCAwvKBp5Efp-TYYqLO6S-VgXS0CWi-tNchrhTsqj9I36ttIt/s640/IMG_3182.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Periwinkle sky.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZFKFg2q_OOpDj0NLgCZushWkOSMg1hrbAIir4shoWbGHfOXTQK05FwcuzUeX5646oVTbPXt5kMDwr5T1tWU0Y8Oex5zu4y5KrDlKQvASwlbb1-Xbmo6ZMJhHPMM6Zawp_bBrguVuRfdL/s1600/IMG_3183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZFKFg2q_OOpDj0NLgCZushWkOSMg1hrbAIir4shoWbGHfOXTQK05FwcuzUeX5646oVTbPXt5kMDwr5T1tWU0Y8Oex5zu4y5KrDlKQvASwlbb1-Xbmo6ZMJhHPMM6Zawp_bBrguVuRfdL/s640/IMG_3183.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful buildings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iWOXoKHulN931Fqm_v3vJ941udGXB0yeuh1sHeH5UJRoFn_RKOnDva_xVTgH6ejKGhZN5tfq_VYjGe9DR9PiUkh4WqPRIeHCyDei9wOzh0eHm1vcnwOLVwuBr5m_0dmiizRFey_sCVTS/s1600/IMG_3184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iWOXoKHulN931Fqm_v3vJ941udGXB0yeuh1sHeH5UJRoFn_RKOnDva_xVTgH6ejKGhZN5tfq_VYjGe9DR9PiUkh4WqPRIeHCyDei9wOzh0eHm1vcnwOLVwuBr5m_0dmiizRFey_sCVTS/s640/IMG_3184.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">P. in his puffy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
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</style><span style="font-size: small;">To be fair, we were only in Albany for one night and part of
a day. We had a chance to walk
around and see all of the amazing architecture that resides in the city. People are living in BEAUTIFUL
places. From what we could see
from the street, many apartments on the main drag had 10-12 ft. ceilings,
elaborate woodwork, and beautiful brick exteriors! The city itself was small and lived in,
meaning we didn’t see many too many vacant store-fronts, and there were many
places that looked like if they had been vacant, there were businesses that had
the paperwork completed and the plans drawn up to move in soon. It had a very local vibe—didn’t see
many chains at all, and all of the local businesses were really cute!!! </span>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Albany is really cute.
Not on our list of cities to consider (no interview there), but if I had
to consider it, I would consider it worth checking out. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></i>kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-3996065377395798872011-12-02T12:22:00.001-08:002011-12-02T12:27:06.468-08:00City No. 9: Binghamton, New York, or, “How I finally saw the new Muppet Movie”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Our Honeymoon, or, How We Got to the Midwest One Interview
at a Time: The Northeast Cities
According to Me, the One Who Wanders the Cities While Peter Completes the Interviews</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: This should by no means be used as a real
resource to the northwestern cities.
While I am an observant person, I have no background in city
development, nor do I have expertise on the cultural or historical background
on these cities. For the most
part, I am reviewing these cities based on my personal preferences, as we will
be moving to one of these cities in the spring. And, if you are hoping for a lot of artwork (as this is my
art blog), sorry to say, but you will be sadly disappointed if you continue to
read this blog in the upcoming two months. Apart from my photographs of the cities, I doubt I’ll get to
very many art and craft projects.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></i></div>
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</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTLj3i_fGX50_Fpw0ViDIdnbkcm6GHrT5uKzG9JTWhoHKgu_fXG9H44Q-CmwR8VfcndTO7nHxp_RFV6sJD0IPCKIbUzhzJSEbBTqFmdhsRS7jq25dvo_c1zXefkECmXeEfmcgtbgY6Zs0/s1600/MuppetThanksgiving.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTLj3i_fGX50_Fpw0ViDIdnbkcm6GHrT5uKzG9JTWhoHKgu_fXG9H44Q-CmwR8VfcndTO7nHxp_RFV6sJD0IPCKIbUzhzJSEbBTqFmdhsRS7jq25dvo_c1zXefkECmXeEfmcgtbgY6Zs0/s640/MuppetThanksgiving.JPG" width="438" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This one will be short, as our trip to this city was
incredibly short. But I must
mention that it was lovely to spend time with Pat and Corie. They were some of our closest friends
in Asheville and they will be sorely missed. But that made our visit with them that much better! We spent Thanksgiving Day with Pat’s
family (his mom, dad, aunt, and extended relatives). Started the festivities by tossing around the Frisbee, then
went on to the meal-eating.
Delicious sweet-potatoes, mashed russets, salad embellished with sweet
pears and cranberries, dinner rolls.
Then for desert there were many different kinds of pies. I chose the homemade pumpkin pie. Delicious! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">To finish off the day, we then went to see the new “The
Muppets” movie! Such a trip back
on memory lane. “Am I a man or a
muppet,” was my favorite song. If
you haven’t seen it yet, go. Or at
least rent it when it comes out. If
you loved the muppets at some point in your life, it is worth the 1.5 hours
that you’ll spend watching it. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">That’s it for Binghamton! Nothing really to say about the city itself except that it’s
kind of "suburby" and it has a theatre (which was awesome)!</span></div>kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-14854554086704862072011-11-30T07:44:00.001-08:002011-11-30T14:36:34.995-08:00City No. 8 and 12: Boston, Massachusetts, or, “Boston is a cluster-f_ _ _ (you fill in the rest)”<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="color: #666666;">Our Honeymoon, or, How We Got to the Midwest One Interview
at a Time: The Northeast Cities
According to Me, the One Who Wanders the Cities While Peter Completes the Interviews</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: This should by no means be used as a real
resource to the northwestern cities.
While I am an observant person, I have no background in city
development, nor do I have expertise on the cultural or historical background
on these cities. For the most
part, I am reviewing these cities based on my personal preferences, as we will
be moving to one of these cities in the spring. And, if you are hoping for a lot of artwork (as this is my
art blog), sorry to say, but you will be sadly disappointed if you continue to
read this blog in the upcoming two months. Apart from my photographs of the cities, I doubt I’ll get to
very many art and craft projects.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coolest picture I could have ever taken in Boston.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Well…so here we are.
Boston. And if we’re going
to be straight here (which we are), I would like to just say that Boston is not
all it is cracked up to be. It is
quite large and over-populated—much like New York. Now I know there are many people who disagree with me, but
let me put it another way: We just
heard someone speaking about rent prices in the city. Guess what it was for a two bedroom. C’mon! Guess!
Nope. Too low. Guess again. Ok. You got
it. $2400. $2400 for a two bedroom. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Anyway, I should explain why Boston is city No. 8 AND 12,
though it is pretty straightforward.
We went to Boston, stayed there for two nights, and then went to
Binghamton, NY to have Thanksgiving dinner with Pat and Corie—our friends from
Asheville that just moved to NY.
Then we turned around and headed back towards the direction of Boston
but first stopping in Albany (hotel), and then in Blanton where we stayed at a
cute cute CUTE Bed and Breakfast.
Actually, though I said “cute” three times, it may not be the correct
word. Quaint and beautiful may be
the better descriptive statement.
Then, we were back in Boston.
</span></div>
<br />
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">While in Boston, we saw snow, didn’t ride the train, saw two
American Apparels, and discovered the maneuver that we call the “Boston
Shuffle.” Let me describe it to
you by telling you a personal story.
Peter and I were on our way to one of his interviews and we were on a
two-lane street and waiting at a red light. Now it had been one of those situations where it was a
yellow light and Peter decided at last minute to stop instead of speed
through—so we had stopped a little over the line. Not wanting to hang out in the intersection, he looked into
the rear view mirror, and over his shoulder to make sure he had a little room
to back up a little bit. He was
clear. Or so he thought. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Suddenly we heard a honk, and we looked around
befuddled. We were in no way near
the car behind us, so it couldn’t be them…who, then? I looked over my shoulder, and looked down onto a tiny
little black sports car sitting directly in our blind spot (it was so short you
couldn’t see it in the mirrors) —doing the Boston Shuffle! See, the Boston Shuffle is when you
turn a two-lane street into a three-lane street for your own personal
pleasure. See, the third lane is
typically the shoulder, or even just a little bit of extra room in the right hand
lane. Sometimes there’s room for
another car, sometimes there’s not.
But always—ALWAYS will this person cut you off. It will be sneaky and therefore you may
never see them until it’s happening.
In this case, our man honked, or otherwise we would never have known
that he was there. And sure
enough, when the light turned green, this guy sped past us in his personal
lane, past the next guy, and the next until he cut in front of the car first in
line. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And there you have it.
The Boston Shuffle. The
dangerous, dangerous Boson Shuffle.
Seriously, you can pretty much always bet that there’s someone in your
blind-spot in Boston. Always. And this makes driving in Boston pretty
sucky. That, as well as the fact
that there are just too many people on the road, no matter what time of the day
it is. And, the streets are
extremely confusing as well.
Perhaps that is why the traffic is horrible? Everybody has just missed all of their exits, and are trying
to turn around and get back on track.
I wouldn’t be surprised…There are streets upon streets going in all
different directions, some have no lane lines, some streets go down to tunnels
that last for minutes (we lost GPS satellite connection because we were in a
tunnel for 4 minutes!), it’s crazy.
Anyway, I’m just complaining now.
On to other things. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Another thing to note about Boson is the
<a href="http://tridentbookscafe.com/">Trident Booksellers and Café</a>, as well as <a href="http://www.ravencambridge.com/">Raven Used Books</a>. Awesome places to find good political,
cultural, and design books. That’s
it for Boston. I really wasn’t too
impressed. Too crowded, too
expensive. I don’t think I could
ever find my niche here as it is much too saturated with ideas and competition. There’s no blank slate here to be
creative with. Sorry Boston,
thumbs down, but I doubt you care.
You seem to have good self-esteem. </span></span></div>
</div>kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-13687516615455802192011-11-25T12:47:00.001-08:002011-11-25T13:23:39.560-08:00City No. 7: Providence, Rhode Island, or, “The place we thought everyone on the street might be in the mob, and then we found out we were probably right. Should I be writing about this on here? I don’t want a hit put out on me”<style>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Our Honeymoon, or, How We Got to the Midwest One Interview
at a Time: The Northeast Cities
According to Me, the One Who Wanders the Cities While Peter Completes the Interviews</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: This should by no means be used as a real
resource to the northwestern cities.
While I am an observant person, I have no background in city
development, nor do I have expertise on the cultural or historical background
on these cities. For the most
part, I am reviewing these cities based on my personal preferences, as we will
be moving to one of these cities in the spring. And, if you are hoping for a lot of artwork (as this is my
art blog), sorry to say, but you will be sadly disappointed if you continue to
read this blog in the upcoming two months. Apart from my photographs of the cities, I doubt I’ll get to
very many art and craft projects.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdRW8X622FY75-VVVi6JxaaeLRmWwIWlRv7B1MUuhEJPgFS19pRgzy93fjmpx7qmdSJPNFM6rm_E1PwsW608IDwRWzOO6_dNh02ymxxW38ILBIDqxTS2dubwNHFYUGrEwIk_t_wPfUN1a/s1600/IMG_3133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdRW8X622FY75-VVVi6JxaaeLRmWwIWlRv7B1MUuhEJPgFS19pRgzy93fjmpx7qmdSJPNFM6rm_E1PwsW608IDwRWzOO6_dNh02ymxxW38ILBIDqxTS2dubwNHFYUGrEwIk_t_wPfUN1a/s640/IMG_3133.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So Providence, eh?
Well, let me just put it this way:
I felt like we stepped foot onto the set of “Goodfellas.” If you haven’t seen this movie, it’s a
mobster movie, and I think that pretty much tells you all that you need to
know. There were men lining the
streets, outside Italian restaurants on their cell-phones speaking in low tones
so that you couldn’t hear them, and I can only imagine that they were just
putting hits on people right and left.
We finally found a place that we thought might be nice to have dessert
at, and we walked in to find the entire establishment void of people with the
exception of a table in the back that was full of what looked to be older men
and their wives—ALL with very strong mob ties—you just KNEW. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Now at this point, it was all in jest that we were coming up
with these theories. Because no
one is really in the mob anymore, right? …ummm…wrong!
According to our couch-surfer host, the mob is very much still alive in
Providence. Of course I’m sure it
is hard to know to what extent they are in power, but it gives Providence an
edge that I hadn’t even imagined it would have. Every time I went into a restaurant, there always seemed to
be a bunch of serious-looking dudes just sitting down in the back, having a
serious conversation…It was very bizarre.
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Obviously, I had a hard time getting over the “mob”
thing…that’s all I’ve been talking about the entire post thus far. But I’ll get over it and tell you about
the rest of the city. Many parts
were very lovely. I spent some
time catching up with an old friend on the phone while looking out onto the
water. It was gorgeous—I really
like having that ability in a city—to spend time by a body of water. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I went to a pretty awesome coffee shop called “Coffee Exchange,” which is so good, according to the people of Providence—that its
popularity has outgrown the size of the coffee shop. The place was actually quite small, and to deal with this
they must have thought it was a good idea to get tiny TINY tables. Which would have been good if everyone
followed the rule of “one table per person” but I saw a guy in the corner that
had hoarded three tables to provide a larger workspace! Mind you, not only was the place small,
but it was really crowded—people were standing, waiting to get a table—and
there is that guy… As far as coffee shops go, it was not amazing. I think that the place is so popular
because you can come and buy coffee beans from practically everywhere, and
they’re all sourced from organic and fair-trade farmers. It really was quite amazing to see
their plastic bins that lined the countertop—it seemed like the bins were set
up 10x10…which means they had 100 different kinds of coffee (which is impossible,
I would think!) but there were many, many different kinds! Good place to get coffee, maybe not the
best to drink it. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The other coffee shop that I went to was called “<a href="http://whiteelectriccoffee.com/">White Electric Coffee</a>” and this one was much better. I know you must think I’m obsessed with coffee shops at this
point, which might be a bit true.
But, I’m a firm believer that you can really judge a place by their
coffee shops. “White Electric,”
was in a much less developed area (many storefronts abandoned and broken
windows everywhere…) but you could feel that the area was moving through a
transitional period. There was the
coffee shop, as well as a new youth arts organization and youth pride
organization. If there were a
really interesting part of Providence, it was this one. The people inside the coffee shop were
not as young as the other area near the university—these people seemed more
artsy, and more grungy. A stark
contrast from the Brown students I had seen all over earlier in the day. Yes, it’s true. I had been judging Providence on its
college youth. I have no intention
of living in a city full of college (or medical) students and no one else... So
it was refreshing to see a grittier side (that wasn’t the mob). </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But I have to say I really didn’t feel a connection with the
place. I am finding myself really
searching for things to mention here.
It was a lovely city (the buildings were beautiful!) with many things to
offer (like a cool bookstore! I
forgot the bookstore full of art and design books!)…but it didn’t really speak
to me in a strong way. Could I
live here? Probably. Do I want to? Probably not. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I’m pretty tepid about Providence... </span></div>kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-50217397027766862262011-11-21T14:16:00.001-08:002011-11-21T19:25:36.985-08:00City No. 6: Old Lyme, Connecticut, or, “How I finally slept in a house on the beach, and it was wonderful”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Our Honeymoon, or, How We Got to the Midwest One Interview
at a Time: The Northeast Cities
According to Me, the One Who Wanders the Cities While Peter Completes the Interviews</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: This should by no means be used as a real
resource to the northwestern cities.
While I am an observant person, I have no background in city
development, nor do I have expertise on the cultural or historical background
on these cities. For the most
part, I am reviewing these cities based on my personal preferences, as we will
be moving to one of these cities in the spring. And, if you are hoping for a lot of artwork (as this is my
art blog), sorry to say, but you will be sadly disappointed if you continue to
read this blog in the upcoming two months. Apart from my photographs of the cities, I doubt I’ll get to
very many art and craft projects.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></i><br />
<br />
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</style><span style="font-size: small;">Old Lyme was exactly what we needed it to be:</span><span style="font-size: small;"> peaceful, beautiful, and restful. While
we were there, we took a walk by the beach (which was probably 200 ft. away
from the house we were staying at), ate some pizza at the local
pizzaria/wifi-hub/coffee/anything-else-you-could-ever-want-joint, and later when
it got too dark, windy, and cold to be outside, we (Peter and our lovely
couch-surfer host, Sarah) watched movies that I had saved on my computer (“Boy
A” and the “Hunting Party”—thank you Davie!).</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Phone reception was bad, wifi was located nowhere
convenient, and so we had a lovely vacation away from all of
computer-based-society.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Life
seemed simple, slower, and lovely in Old Lyme.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Because most of what Old Lyme had to offer was mostly
nature’s own beauty, I’ve included many photos.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The other great thing we found was just right outside Old Lyme:</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.bookbarnniantic.com/">BOOK BARN</a>!!!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> If you’ve ever been to this place, you know why I have it in
all caps, followed by three exclamation points.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> This place was and IS amazing.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Picture a barn.</span><span style="font-size: small;">
Fill it with books that are all used, and only cost $4.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> But they’re good books--books you
actually WANT to read, not reject books like you usually find at thrift stores,
or other used bookstores that offer books that cheap.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> And THEN, picture leaving that barn and going outside where you
see another shed-type-building (horse shed?) and a tent, and a few other wagons
(wagons that horses pull, not that you might pull a child in—big wagons!) that
are also FULL OF BOOKS THAT COST $4!!!</span><span style="font-size: small;">
And THEN (yes, there’s more!) imagine that you look down at a flyer
posted near the register that says that they have TWO OTHER LOCATIONS IN
TOWN!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> AND YOU GO TO THEM!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> And you see that the buildings are
HUGE, and have winding hallways and passageways lined with thousands of books
THAT ALL COST $4!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: small;">Needless to say, we had an awesome time in
Old Lyme. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: small;">And maybe, just MAYBE, we saw <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000260/">Joan Allen</a> there at a Chinese restaurant. She was driving a sports car, and looked like star... </span>kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740665957668311871.post-57731795874838638012011-11-21T06:54:00.001-08:002011-11-21T13:27:53.356-08:00City No. 5: Stamford, Connecticut, or, “Gee, the only thing to do here is to go to the mall…”<br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">Our Honeymoon, or, How We Got to the Midwest One Interview
at a Time: The Northeast Cities
According to Me, the One Who Wanders the Cities While Peter Completes the Interviews</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: This should by no means be used as a real
resource to the northwestern cities.
While I am an observant person, I have no background in city
development, nor do I have expertise on the cultural or historical background
on these cities. For the most
part, I am reviewing these cities based on my personal preferences, as we will
be moving to one of these cities in the spring. And, if you are hoping for a lot of artwork (as this is my
art blog), sorry to say, but you will be sadly disappointed if you continue to
read this blog in the upcoming two months. Apart from my photographs of the cities, I doubt I’ll get to
very many art and craft projects.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Gosh, Katie, you're the most interesting thing in Stamford."</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MeIIPDpNf-bO8e1Hsp4fl-071ECpPQW_5GbwkbWXm5IlYGVrUWDjXCigqxSgwLy_Yz0iFZLa054CnBJpKmNYN9n0rZzat1njyE811Mw1qIqnolmiDgL4Z1331bsg4tZHDuB8atnEgllX/s1600/IMG_3062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MeIIPDpNf-bO8e1Hsp4fl-071ECpPQW_5GbwkbWXm5IlYGVrUWDjXCigqxSgwLy_Yz0iFZLa054CnBJpKmNYN9n0rZzat1njyE811Mw1qIqnolmiDgL4Z1331bsg4tZHDuB8atnEgllX/s400/IMG_3062.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Psh, I know..."</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I didn't take any pictures in Stamford, CT, hence the photos of ourselves... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I know you must be thinking that I’m exaggerating here, but
Peter and I found ourselves so bored with the city that we got excited by the
Barnes and Noble and the H&M located in the mall. And yes, we’re still talking about Peter and I. People that HATE malls. And actually, architecturally speaking,
it was kind of interesting to look at.
The footprint of the mall was actually quite small, but it was about 4
or 5 stories high! But that’s all
it offered. That, and an
inaccurate map of the mall. Peter
and I spent probably 5 minutes or more riding the escalators up and down (and
then back to the map to double-check) because the map said the bookstore was on
a floor that it definitely wasn’t.
We probably looked like idiots, but c’mon! The map was wrong!
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<span style="font-size: small;">We did happen upon an art gallery that was pretty
interesting. They were exhibiting
an artist that worked primarily with earth, and the surrounding concepts (like
everything that can be made with it, done to it, the tools used to do all of
these things). It was pretty
interesting, and it the owner of the gallery seemed to think that Stamford was
on the “up and up.” He had seen a
lot of growth in the two years that he’d been there, and he anticipated
Stamford becoming a very important city for the arts. And if little galleries like his own keep coming into the
city, I think he’ll be right! It’s
close enough to New York (40 min on the train) that it could probably get some
foot traffic, but it would take people coming to Stamford FOR the
galleries. What came first, the
foot traffic that allowed galleries to grow, or the galleries that created foot
traffic? I’m no expert, but I felt
a little bit about Stamford the way I did about Wilmington, but with a positive
twist. While there is not much in
Stamford now, because everyone commutes to NY for everything that they need
(work, art, culture, food), people do live in Stamford. If they need to in the future, they can
make Stamford their home for everything else again, too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But currently, Stamford—eh. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Oh, and I must also add (just because it’s
hilarious), that when Peter and I jumped into the car and plugged “Stamford”
into the GPS, it gave us directions to Stamford, NY. Which we followed for 40 min. And then we realized our mistake. Oops. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">AND--one more thing-- the Goodwill in Stamford was the most expensive Goodwill that I've EVER been to. They were selling their goods for prices comparable to H&M, and in some cases, were MORE expensive. Coats were being sold for $25-80. Sweaters ranged from $10-$25. Shoes were rarely under $10. I was appalled. </span> </span></span></div>kabchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06769790511336969714noreply@blogger.com0